Reminding people of the annals of Allah:
Dear brothers, last lecture we reached the following Ayah in Surat Ibrahim:
﴾ And indeed We sent Musa (Moses) with Our Ayat (signs, proofs, and evidences) (saying): "Bring out your people from darkness into light, and make them remember the annals of Allah. Truly, therein are evidences, proofs and signs for every patient, thankful (person)." ﴿
I clarified last lecture that the mission of Prophets and the scholars (after the Prophets) is to bring people from the darkness of sins, remoteness and misery into the light of obedience, closeness and happiness.
﴾ And make them remember the annals of Allah. ﴿
I also mentioned that the children of Israel had days of prosperity, like the day when Allah saved them from Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and the day when they inherited the succession on earth after Fir'aun. These are among the days of Allah. Likewise, every believer has his days of prosperity from Allah, like having his Du'a answered upon being in a hardship. Such a day is one of the days of Allah. Whatever day on which the believer is saved from financial distress, domestic hardship, social problem or intractable disease is considered one of the annals of Allah.
﴾ And make them remember the annals of Allah. ﴿
I asked you last lecture to write down on a special notebook the days of Allah that you have had so far. Whenever you look at this notebook, your love for Allah will increase, because you will remember how Allah saved you, how Allah has chosen this wife for you or how Allah facilitated to you buying your house. All these matters are graces as people see them; however, the greatest grace ever is when you have been guided to know Allah, when you have met the people of Al-Haqq (the truth), when you listened to the truth, when you were led to Allah, and when you complied with His orders. These are amongst the days of Allah.
﴾ Truly, therein are evidences, proofs and signs for every patient, thankful (person)." ﴿
"Sabbar" is the person with abundant patience. Patience is manifested in many ways, like being patient when you obey Allah, when you refrain from sins, when you control your whims, when you avoid the things that displease Allah and when you comply with Allah's Orders. Thus, patience has many types. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH): "O My slaves who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism), be afraid of your Lord (Allah) and keep your duty to Him. Good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world, and Allah’s earth is spacious (so if you cannot worship Allah at a place, then go to another)! Only those who are patient shall receive their rewards in full, without reckoning." ﴿
Abdullah bin Mas'ud narrated:
(( Faith is made up of two halves - One half Patience and one half gratitude ))
Abi Ishaq narrated that Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Verily, the significance of patience to faith is like the significance of the head to the body. If the head is cut, the body will perish."
Patience is a result of having Islamic knowledge. When you are at the dentist clinic, you will endure the anesthetic injection in your gum, but why? Because you know for sure that this injection is for your own benefit, and that this pain is temporary and is followed by a long time of relief. Thus, you endure the injection without objection, because you know the results. However, if a child is in the dentist clinic he will shout and cry loudly, because he does not know that this injection is for his own good.
Patience comes after having Islamic knowledge. When you know Allah the Almighty, you will be patient while abiding by His Rulings. Allah says:
﴾ So wait patiently (O Muhammad PBUH) for the Decision of your Lord, for verily, you are under Our Eyes, and glorify the Praises of your Lord when you get up from sleep. ﴿
Had Allah's rulings gone along with what you like, there would have been no need for your patience:
﴾ So wait patiently (O Muhammad PBUH) for the Decision of your Lord, ﴿
Allah's Decree sometimes does not please the ignorant self, whereas the believer accepts Allah's Decree, and he endures applying them and he is pleased with them. It was:
(( If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials, so if he remains patient, Allah favors him over others, if he is grateful to Him, Allah draws him closer to Him. ))
He, who endures Allah's Decree, knows Him. You know Allah when you are sure that it is not possible to have anything better/more beautiful than what is already there, that the reality you have is the best you can get and that these matters are your way towards Allah. Hence, knowledge brings about patience, so when you know Allah, you will endure His Decree, but when you do not know Him, you will complain.
Faith is not enough alone:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Truly, therein are evidences, proofs and signs for every patient, thankful (person)." ﴿
"Shakoor" is the adjective for the one who thanks abundantly. Abdullah bin Abbas said that the Prophet PBUH said:
(( Love Allah because He has treated you with beneficence. Love me because you love Allah, and love my family because you love me! ))
[ At-Tirmizi
]
Who are the family of Dawud (David)? They are the pious ones. Hence, thanking Allah is done by offering deeds. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ They worked for him what he desired, (making) high rooms, images, basins as large as reservoirs, and (cooking) cauldrons fixed (in their places). "Work you, O family of Dawud (David), with thanks!" But few of My slaves are grateful. ﴿
In another Ayah, Allah says:
﴾ Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing. ﴿
[ An-Nisa', 147
]
Given gratitude is a proof of acknowledging Allah's Graces, and this Ayah indicates that faith alone is not enough. It should go along with gratitude, so that man can be saved from Allah's Torment.
(O Lord, how did son of Adam thank you? He said, "He knew I created him and this is his gratitude")
If we suppose that gratitude has levels, the least of these levels would be to acknowledge that whatever grace you have is from Allah the Almighty and is not from your own effort, knowledge, smartness, expertise or long experience in this matter.
Shaitan always used to say regarding Allah's Graces, "This grace is from me". Likewise, Qarun denied Allah's Grace that was given to him by saying the following as Allah the Almighty narrates:
﴾ He said: "This has been given to me only because of knowledge I possess." Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations, men who were stronger than him in might and greater in the amount (of riches) they had collected. But the Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.) will not be questioned of their sins (because Allah knows them well, so they will be punished without account). ﴿
Unlike Qarun, the believer keeps saying, "This grace is Allah's favor upon me", "It is Allah's favor that I did so and so", "It is Allah's favor that I offered this good deed", "It is Allah's favor that I was guided to the Right Path" and so on. You should stick to saying these words (i.e. "This is Allah's favor upon me"), because once you do not say them and instead you ascribe the favor to yourself, it is a type of Shirk (polytheism). He who relies on his own self, Allah will hand him over to his own self.
﴾ Truly, therein are evidences, proofs and signs for every patient, thankful (person)." ﴿
Patience makes one half of faith, and gratitude makes the other half. Given fasting makes one half of patience, this means that fasting Ramadan is one quarter of faith.
Pay attention to the following Ahadeeth about patience and gratitude:
(( Sawm makes one half of patience ))
(( Faith is made up of two halves - One half Patience and one half gratitude ))
(( Verily, patience is to faith as the head is to the body. If the head is cut, the body will perish ))
Patience reflects having knowledge:
One might ask, "How can I be patient?" I will say to him, "Patience is based on knowledge, so when you know, you will remain patient. It is like the adult who is in the dentist clinic and is enduring the pain of the anesthetic injection, because he knows that this injection is for his own benefit. Much in the same line, the believer has patience, because he knows that whatever occurs to him is for his own benefit, whether this benefit is apparent or hidden. Some scholars commented on the following Ayah:
﴾ See you not (O men) that Allah has subjected for you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, and has completed and perfected His Graces upon you, (both) apparent (i.e Islamic Monotheism, and the lawful pleasures of this world, including health, good looks, etc.) and hidden [i.e. One’s Faith in Allah (of Islamic Monotheism) knowledge, wisdom, guidance for doing righteous deeds, and also the pleasures and delights of the Hereafter in Paradise, etc.]? Yet of mankind is he who disputes about Allah without knowledge or guidance or a Book giving light! ﴿
[ Luqman, 20
]
They said, "Calamities are disguised graces, because through them you know Allah, you follow His Path and you return to him with sincere repentance." So, had you not been afflicted with hardship, you would never have followed the Right Path, repented to Allah and turned back to Him. However, knowing Allah and following His Path while you are in prosperity, while you are powerful, while you are young and while you are in the prime of life, is even more transcendental.
(( On the authority of Abu Abbas Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said, "Recognize and acknowledge Allah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember you in times of adversity." ))
There is a reason behind calamities as they are an awakening call:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And (remember) when Musa (Moses) said to his people: "Call to mind Allah's Favour to you, when He delivered you from Fir'aun's (Pharaoh) people who were afflicting you with horrible torment, and were slaughtering your sons and letting your women alive, and in it was a tremendous trial from your Lord." ﴿
When Fir'aun killed the sons of the children of Israel and let their females live to serve him, he was given the upper hand upon them by Allah the Almighty.
(( If he, who knows me, disobeyed me, I will give a free hand to the one who does not know Me over him." ))
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Except those who join a group, between you and whom there is a treaty (of peace), or those who approach you with their breasts restraining from fighting you as well as fighting their own people. Had Allah willed, indeed He would have given them power over you, and they would have fought you. So if they withdraw from you, and fight not against you, and offer you peace, then Allah has opened no way for you against them. ﴿
Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, authorized that.
﴾ Say: "He has power to send torment on you from above or from under your feet, or to cover you with confusion in party strife, and make you to taste the violence of one another." See how variously We explain the Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), so that they may understand. ﴿
[ Al-An'am, 65
]
The Ayah refers to bolt of lightning, volcanoes and heavy rain.
﴾ Or from under your feet,.
﴿
The reference in here is to earthquakes and destructions…
﴾ Or to cover you with confusion in party strife, and make you to taste the violence of one another. ﴿
This is authorized by Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He.
﴾ And (remember) when Musa (Moses) said to his people: "Call to mind Allah's Favour to you, when He delivered you from Fir'aun's (Pharaoh) people who were afflicting you with horrible torment, and were slaughtering your sons and letting your women alive, and in it was a tremendous trial from your Lord." ﴿
[ Ibrahim, 6
]
If man does not have the possibility of being guided on earth, then all the calamities, he is afflicted with by Allah since Adam till the Day of Resurrection, are in vain. Allah is far exalted from afflicting man without a purpose. The purpose is "so that they might humiliate themselves (and repent to Allah)", "so that they may learn a lesson", "in order that they may (repent and) return (i.e. accept Islam)". Hence, all calamities have purpose.
O Allah, show us your graces by increasing them and not by taking them away. When people are heedless of Allah's Graces, the latter will be decreased due to lack of rain, dry wells, springs' disappearance and spoilt crops. All these calamities are reminders and warnings from Allah the Almighty.
Allah's Graces last and increase by thanking Him:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And in it was a tremendous trial from your Lord." And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings) ﴿
This Ayah stresses that gratitude brings more graces. Namely, if you want the graces, Allah has bestowed upon you to increase, you should thank Him for them.
As I have already mentioned: Gratitude has levels, the least of which is to acknowledge Allah's Graces, and the higher level is to correspond by offering good deed that serves people, and the highest level is to know that thanking Allah for His Graces is a grace unto itself that entails thanking. O Allah, make us thankful.
Ibrahim PBUH said as Allah the Almighty narrates:
﴾ (He was) thankful for His (Allah's) Graces. He (Allah) chose him (as an intimate friend) and guided him to a Straight Path (Islamic Monotheism, neither Judaism nor Christianity ). ﴿
[ An-Nahl, 121
]
﴾ And of Ibrahim (Abraham) who fulfilled (or conveyed) all that (what Allah ordered him to do or convey), ﴿
Are you thankful to Allah the Almighty? No matter how little Allah's Grace might seem, the Prophet PBUH was grateful to it. Drinking a glass of water and getting it out of your body without any surgical operations or pain is a grace that is known only by those who lack it.
A glass of cold sweet water in your house is a grace about which you will be asked in the Hereafter. Furthermore, having a house in which you dwell is a grace that is known only by those who lack it. Moreover, having a pious wife is a grace that is known only by those who lack it. Only the fools treasure the graces when they are gone, whereas the believers cherish the graces while they have them.
﴾ And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: ﴿
Your Lord told you:
﴾ "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings) ﴿
Accustom yourself to thank Allah Almighty for everything, for the graces of health, house, wife, children, reason and strength. If man's rectum is paralyzed, how can he discharge his wastes? He cannot, and in this case, someone else should help him remove them mechanically. Who will accept to do so? How much he should pay someone to do this for him? The ability to discharge wastes is a grace, and the rectum muscle helps doing so, and this grace is known only by those who lack it.
As for lungs, they work involuntarily. Had Allah made them work voluntarily, you would have never slept, because the minute you sleep, they will stop working and you will die. A physician was afflicted with this disease. The medulla and the pons are the major brain centers that affect respiration. An increased concentration of carbon dioxide normally stimulates the body's respiratory center in the medulla, and thus the lungs work involuntarily. Had this system failed, man would have voluntarily inhaled and exhaled, and so he should stay awake all night long. This was the case with that physician.
He was told that there was a new medicine that would help in his case, and he had to take one pill every hour, because its effect extended only for one hour. He had to wake up every hour to take the pill, so he bought four alarm clocks, because if he did not wake up he would die. This man had a son who was abroad, and when he came back, the father spent most of the night with him, and then they went to sleep. The four alarm clocks ringed, but no one woke up. In the morning, they woke up to find their father dead. Having the lungs working involuntarily is a grace, so is the bladder and the kidneys.
Allah's Graces are uncountable:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. Verily! Man is indeed an extreme wrong-doer, – a disbeliever (an extreme ingrate, denies Allah’s Blessings by disbelief, and by worshipping others besides Allah, and by disobeying Allah and His Prophet Muhammad PBUH). ﴿
Why the word "blessing" is singular in the Ayah and not plural? It is because even if you spend your whole life trying to understand one grace, it will not be enough. What about all the graces you are bestowed with?!
﴾ And if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them ﴿
﴾ And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings) ﴿
There are graces about which you have no knowledge. In the blood there are red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 400,000 platelets per cubic millimeter.
If a blood vessel is damaged, the body sends signals to platelets, which cause them to travel to the injured area. Once, the platelets arrive at the site, they clump together to form a clot that helps stop bleeding. If man lacks platelets in his blood, a needle punch might cause him losing his blood.
I know a man whose bone marrow failed to form platelets. I visited him once and he had a very thick bandage on his nose to prevent nose bleeding. This disease caused his death later on. When bone marrow fails to form platelets, man dies.
There are many diseases about which we have no idea. There is a disease that is called aplastic anemia due to which the marrow fails to form red blood cells, and this disease is fatal.
If you wake up in the morning healthy and strong, you should know that there are a million things in your body that keep you in a healthy condition. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them ﴿
﴾ And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings), but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily! My Punishment is indeed severe." ﴿
﴾ "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings), but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers) ﴿
Allah does not avenge us, not at all, but rather Allah is keen on our happiness. Thus, when we turn away from Him, He afflicts us with hardship, so that we may thank Him and as a result, we rejoice being close to Him.
There is a big difference between assuming that Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, afflicts us because we do not thank him, and believing that He afflicts us in order to return to him and rejoice being close to Him.
Allah is in no need of His servants and He is praised for all His Actions:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ But if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily! My Punishment is indeed severe." And Musa (Moses) said: "If you disbelieve, you and all on earth together, then verily! Allah is Rich (Free of all wants), Owner of all Praise." ﴿
Allah the Almighty said in a long Qudsi Hadith:
(( Abu Dharr reported Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as saying that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: "O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you, O My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me and will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of anyone of you, that would not increase My dominion in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of anyone of you, that would not decrease My dominion in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I record for you and then recompense you for. So let him who finds good, praise Allah, and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself." ))
﴾ And Musa (Moses) said: "If you disbelieve, you and all on earth together, then verily! Allah is Rich (Free of all wants), Owner of all Praise." ﴿
Allah is rich, He dispenses with His servants, He is (the) One and He is Us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks). Allah's Existence is self-sustained and is not related to any external party. Allah dispenses with us, but we do not dispense with Him, because we cannot live without air, water, food, water and millions of other things. Our existence is not self-sustained.
Allah dispenses with His servants. Allah is The Ever-Praiseworthy, because He is praised for all His Actions. Thus, if we hear of an earthquake or a catastrophe of any kind, pandemic, disease, volcano or a war, we should believe that all of which is from Allah's Decree. Had the cover of Ghaib (the unseen) revealed, we would have chosen the reality.
﴾ Their way of request therein will be Subhanaka Allahumma (Glory to You, O Allah!) and Salam (peace, safe from each and every evil) will be their greetings therein (Paradise)! and the close of their request will be: Al-Hamdu Lillahi Rabbil-‘Alamin [All the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Lord of 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)]. ﴿
[ Yunus, 10
]
Imam Ali, may Allah honor his face, said, "If the veil that covers Ghaib (the unknown/unseen) were opened, my certitude would not be deeper or stronger." Ali's statement is about his unhesitant belief at the level of absolute certainty with or without uncovering the veil of Ghaib.
Allah is rich (Ghani) and Hameed (Ever-Praiseworthy). What does it mean to combine the two Beautiful Names together?
﴾ Then verily! Allah is Rich (Free of all wants), Owner of all Praise." ﴿
It means that Allah dispenses with you, yet He treats you in a way for which you praise Him. This is a third meaning we deduce from combining the two Names together.
Al-Haqq is explicit and apparent, and falsehood is deviated:
﴾ Has not the news reached you, of those before you, the people of Nuh (Noah), and 'Ad, and Thamud? And those after them? None knows them but Allah. To them came their Messengers with clear proofs, ﴿
The truth (Al-Haqq) is explicit like the sun… Al-Irbad bin Sariyah narrated that the Prophet PBUH said:
(( I am leaving you upon a (path of) brightness whose night is like its day. No one will deviate from it after I am gone but one who is doomed. ))
[ Sahih Al-Jame' As-Sagheer ]
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH): "This is my way; I invite unto Allah (i.e. to the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allah i.e to the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge. And Glorified and Exalted be Allah (above all that they associate as partners with Him). And I am not of the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah; those who worship others along with Allah or set up rivals or partners to Allah)." ﴿
Among the signs of Al-Haqq is that it is explicit like the sun in middle of the day. On the other hand, falsehood is crooked, it has many entries and exits, and it is full of flaws, mistakes, deceits and delusions. As I have just said, Al-Haqq is clear like the sun.
Disbelievers rejected and turned away from Prophet's Da'wah:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ To them came their Messengers with clear proofs, but they put their hands in their mouths (biting them from anger) and said: "Verily, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent, and we are really in grave doubt as to that to which you invite us (i.e. Islamic Monotheism)." ﴿
Some scholars said, "They put their hands in their mouths" means that they gestured to the Prophets to shut up, because they did not want to listen to their words, lest they would be influenced by them. So, they were not interested in listening to the Prophets, and thus they prevented them from speaking."
﴾ But they put their hands in their mouths (biting them from anger) ﴿
The disbelievers put their hands on the mouths of the Prophets to indicate that they rejected their Da'wah (call to believe in Allah Alone as the only Deity), they turned away from it, they undermined it and they did not care about it.
﴾ And said: "Verily, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent, and we are really in grave doubt as to that to which you invite us (i.e. Islamic Monotheism)." ﴿
As if the disbelievers said to the Prophets, "We doubt your intentions", "Your intention is to have the leverage over us", and "You intend to be chiefs on us." Hence, when the disbelievers listen to Al-Haqq, their response is usually as follows: Accusing the Da'iyah (Islamic missioner) of things he is innocent of, accusing him of being dominant, and accusing him of longing to a high position. Had these accusations been right, Allah would have silenced him and prevented him from saying one word.
﴾ But they put their hands in their mouths (biting them from anger) and said: "Verily, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent, and we are really in grave doubt as to that to which you invite us (i.e. Islamic Monotheism)." ﴿
They doubted the essence of this Da'wah, they doubted its seriousness and they doubted its indications.
The entire universe is a proof of Allah's Greatness:
﴾ And we are really in grave doubt as to that to which you invite us (i.e. Islamic Monotheism)." Their Messengers said: "What! Can there be a doubt about Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth?
﴿
Invite you to whom? I invite you to The Creator of this universe. The entire universe testifies to Allah's Greatness, Mercy, Mighty, Knowledge, Affluence and Omnipotence.
Black holes in the outer space are places where matter gets extremely dense. If the earth entered one of them, it would turn into the size of an egg but would weigh the same weight it has now. Can you imagine this? What is the weight of earth? Its weight is ten thousand million million million tons. Even with this tremendous weight, the earth would turn into the size of an egg if it entered a black hole.
The velocity of some galaxies is about 140.000 kilometers per second. These galaxies travel close to the speed of light. A new galaxy, that is 18.000 million light years away from us, has been discovered lately. We are one light second away from the moon and 8 light minutes away from the sun. The diameter of our solar system is 13 light hours, whereas the one of the Milky Way is 18.000 million light years. This universe is testifying.
Do you know that the water we drink is unable to be compressed even one millimeter less though you might apply million tons over it? Water is essentially incompressible and it cannot be squashed even if we apply one million tons worthy of pressure. On the other hand, when water becomes ice nothing will stop it from expanding. Relatively, how can earth shrink to the size of an egg upon entering a black hole?
﴾ Can there be a doubt about Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth? ﴿
The sheep we eat has its own nature, for it is calm, peaceable, tame, domesticated and subjugated. Is it like this on its own? Is it not Allah Who made it that way? Who molded the little child to be adorable? Small children are pure and spontaneous. They forget and get angry easily, and they are innocent. Without these characteristics, and had children had adults' characteristics, parents would never have loved their children or raised them.
﴾ Can there be a doubt about Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth? ﴿
Allah created the heavens and the earth the way they are, didn't He? Who made the heat of the sun on the earth mild? Had we lived on the moon, life would have been impossible to be lived, because the heat during the day is 350 degrees and during the night, it drops to minus 250. We cannot live on the moon, can we? It is impossible.
Allah created earth in this shape, didn't He? Who brought forth there from its water and its pasture? Who made the mountains as pegs? Who affixed, into the earth, mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with us? Allah the Almighty did all that.
Everything should have one proof to be authenticated. Having two or three proofs makes that thing more authenticated. What if you have billions and billions and billions of endless proofs that authenticate Allah's Greatness! Allah is The Most Gracious (Ar-Rahman), The Most Merciful (Ar-Raheem), The Sovereign (Al-Malik), The Most Holy (Al Quddoos), The Giver of Peace (As Salam), The Giver of Belief (Al-Mo'min), The Supremely Hegemonic (Al-Muhaimin), The Almighty (Al-Aziz), The Superb Potentate (Al-Jabbar), The Supremely Proud (Al-Mutakabir).
Allah invites people to move from misery to happiness:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "What! Can there be a doubt about Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth? He calls you (to Monotheism and to be obedient to Allah) that He may forgive you
﴿
Allah invites you to what exactly? He does not need anything from you, but He invites you to attain happiness, cure from your diseases, purity from your sins and pleasure in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. Allah invites you in order to grant you good enjoyment, for a term appointed, and bestow His abounding Grace to every owner of grace.
﴾ O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life, and know that Allah comes in between a person and his heart (i.e. He prevents an evil person to decide anything). And verily to Him you shall (all) be gathered. ﴿
According to this Ayah, the disbeliever is dead (without Faith by ignorance and disbelief).
﴾ Nor are (alike) the living (believers) and the dead (disbelievers). Verily, Allah makes whom He will hear, but you cannot make hear those who are in graves. ﴿
﴾ (They are) dead, lifeless, and they know not when they will be raised up. ﴿
﴾ And when you look at them, their bodies please you; and when they speak, you listen to their words. They are as blocks of wood propped up. They think that every cry is against them. They are the enemies, so beware of them. May Allah curse them! How are they denying (or deviating from) the Right Path. ﴿
﴾ Or do you think that most of them hear or understand? They are only like cattle; nay, they are even farther astray from the Path. (i.e. even worse than cattle). ﴿
﴾ The likeness of those who were entrusted with the (obligation of the) Taurat (Torah) (i.e. to obey its commandments and to practise its legal laws), but who subsequently failed in those (obligations), is as the likeness of a donkey who carries huge burdens of books (but understands nothing from them). How bad is the example (or the likeness) of people who deny the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah. And Allah guides not the people who are Zalimun (polytheists, wrong-doers, disbelievers, etc.). ﴿
﴾ As if they were frightened (wild) donkeys. Fleeing from a hunter, or a lion, or a beast of prey. ﴿
﴾ And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith but he clung to the earth and followed his own vain desire. So his description is the description of a dog: if you drive him away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls his tongue out. Such is the description of the people who reject Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.). So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect. ﴿
This is the parable of the disbeliever. He is likened in the Quran to a block of wood, to cattle, to animals, to donkeys, and to the dog. The main point is that he/she is inactive and valueless.
﴾ He calls you (to Monotheism and to be obedient to Allah) that He may forgive you
﴿
Monotheism brings you out from the state of animals to the state of the human being and from misery to happiness.
Sins are of two types:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ He calls you (to Monotheism and to be obedient to Allah) that He may forgive you of your sins ﴿
This means that Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, forgives the sins that are between you and Him, but as for the sins you commit by wronging other people, they will not be forgiven unless you seek their forgiveness and fix the things between you and them. Only then, Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, will forgive you those sins.
The Prophet PBUH is human and he has all the characteristics of humans:
﴾ He calls you (to Monotheism and to be obedient to Allah) that He may forgive you of your sins and give you respite for a term appointed." They said: "You are no more than human beings like us!
﴿
The Prophet is a human being like anyone of us, and if he were an angle, we would say, "Well he is an angle, while we are humans." Thus, if the Prophet PBUH asked someone to lower his gaze from looking at Haram this person will say, "You are an angle, and I am human in whom Allah installed lust".
The Prophet is but a human being like us. He used to feel what we feel, he used to get angry at the things we are angry at, he used to be pleased with the things that please us, he used to long to the things we long to and he used to hate the things we hate. What is the worth of a Prophet who is different from humans?
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH): "I am only a human being like you. It is inspired in me that your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God – Allah), therefore take Straight Path to Him (with true Faith Islamic Monotheism) and obedience to Him, and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe to Al–Mushrikun (the disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, polytheists, idolaters, etc. – see V.2:105). ﴿
Anas bin Malik reported that the Prophet PBUH said:
(( I am a human being and I am pleased just as a human being is pleased and I lose temper just as a human being loses temper, ))
[ Muslim
]
﴾ They said: "You are no more than human beings like us! You wish to turn us away from what our fathers used to worship. Then bring us a clear authority i.e. a clear proof of what you say)."
﴿
They asked for a clear irrefutable proof, so they asked for impossible things like changing the face of the earth and bringing out rivers. They asked the Prophets to change Allah's Creation in order to put forth a proof of their Prophethood.
﴾ Their Messengers said to them: "We are no more than human beings like you, but Allah bestows His Grace to whom He wills of His slaves. It is not ours to bring you an authority (proof) except by the Permission of Allah. And in Allah (Alone) let the believers put their trust. ﴿
The Prophets are not able to do the things people asked them to do in order to prove their Prophethood. Miracles that are given to Prophets are Allah's made, and they are proofs of His Omnipotence, but the Prophets cannot do any supernatural thing on their own.
We put our trust in Allah because He has guided us to Him:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "And why should we not put our trust in Allah while He indeed has guided us our ways. ﴿
Turn away from your worries
and entrust your affairs to the Divine Decree
Rejoice at the good which will soon be,
you will then forget what has gone by.
Perhaps an issue which upsets you,
holds at its end what will gladden you.
Perhaps the tight road will constrict more so,
and perhaps the universe will expand even more.
Indeed Allah does what He wishes,
so never be one who opposes (Him)
Allah is your beautiful source of strength,
So determine things by what has elapsed.
﴾ "And why should we not put our trust in Allah while He indeed has guided us our ways. ﴿
Allah guided us in substantial matters, so do you think that He would not guide us in small matters? Since He has guided us, He worth our trust, because He is our Lord. It is for a greater reason to put our trust in Him.
Allah shall make a way out of everything for the one who puts his trust in Him:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And in Allah (Alone) let those who trust, put their trust." ﴿
This means that if you were to put your trust in someone, you should put your trust in Allah alone. Man sometimes put his trust in a person, and for profound wisdom this person let him down. Pay attention to the Ayah, please:
﴾ Then when they are about to fulfil their term appointed, either take them back in a good manner or part with them in a good manner. And take for witness two just persons from among you (Muslims). And establish the witness for Allah. That will be an admonition given to him who believes in Allah and the Last Day. And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). ﴿
The precise meaning is: If you fear Allah when you are in hardship with no way out, Allah will make a way for you to get out of this hardship. You may have financial hardship, and there are no solutions, but if you fear Allah, He will find you a way out of it. Sometimes you may be looking for a wife, but you are deprived of the means to get married, so if you fear Allah, Allah will make a way out for you.
Allah sometimes strips you of all means, so that you may resort to Him. All your friends may excuse themselves from helping you and those whom you trust let you down until you become helpless, so if you resort to Allah the Almighty, He will find you a way out.
Hardship has struck with no way out but
there comes the relief, and I thought it will never come
You might be afflicted in your health, and the first physician told you that you have no hope, so did the second and the third physician, and when you became helpless and could not find a cure for your disease, you resort to Allah the Almighty, and only then Allah the Almighty will help you out, and you might be cured by an unknown humble physician.
When man faces hardship with no way out, when he thinks that there is no hope, when he sees the future very dark and when he is taken over by pessimism, but he resorts to Allah, Allah will change his hardship to relief, his weakness to strength and his despair to hope. Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, has created everything including hope, despair, tranquility, security and anxiety. As Allah the Almighty created tangible things, He created moral things too.
﴾ Then after the distress, He sent down security for you. Slumber overtook a party of you, while another party was thinking about themselves (as how to save their ownselves, ignoring the others and the Prophet PBUH) and thought wrongly of Allah – the thought of ignorance. They said, "Have we any part in the affair?" Say you (O Muhammad PBUH): "Indeed the affair belongs wholly to Allah." They hide within themselves what they dare not reveal to you, saying: "If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed here." Say: "Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death,” but that Allah might test what is in your breasts; and to Mahis that which was in your hearts (sins), and Allah is All-Knower of what is in (your) breasts. ﴿
"Sent down security" means that security is something created by Allah the Almighty.
﴾ "And why should we not put our trust in Allah while He indeed has guided us our ways. And we shall certainly bear with patience all the hurt you may cause us, and in Allah (Alone) let those who trust, put their trust." ﴿
